Laughingstock Yankees down and almost out | ALDS Game 2 takeaways
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This was no Schlit show. This was ... Well, you know, go ahead and rhyme it.
This was Yankees ace Cam Schlittler done wrong one batter into the Rays’ first inning Monday night at Tropicana Field. Yandy Diaz hit a two-hopper right at third baseman Ryan McMahon, and a guy who’s been a Gold Glove finalist four years in a row booted it.
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By the end of the inning, the Yankees were up to three errors, and the Rays had an early lead in Game 2 of this best of five American League Division Series.
The Yankees weren’t done embarrassing themselves.
A 1-1 tie turned into a 5-1 Rays lead in a fifth inning that included rookie shortstop George Lombard making bad throw to first base with two outs. That led to two more Rays runs.
The Rays held on for a 5-2 victory and 2-0 series over the Yankees, whose four errors were one shy of the franchise postseason record.
“It didn’t seem like we really showed up today, so that’s what happens,” Schlittler said.
The Yankees would have had five errors if the official scorer hadn’t changed a second fifth-inning boot by Lombard to a fielder’s choice after the seventh inning.
The Yankees committed five errors in Game 2 of the 1976 ALCS, a 7-3 loss to the Royals in Kansas City.
The Yankees now have to beat the Rays three a row or their championship drought will extend to 17 years.
Left-hander Max Fried will start Game 3 for the Yankees on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
“It’s not over yet,” McMahon said. “There’s a lot of work left to be done. We’ll regroup. Respect the loss. Everybody here is a little pissed off, a little upset where we’re at and there’s still some games left.”
Maybe just one.
Here are takeaways from Game 2:
ACHILLES EXPOSED
The Yankees’ 96 errors this season tied for the second most in the American League and were more than any team that made the playoffs.
Aaron Boone tried playing this down in an office meeting with beat writers prior to Game 1 of this series, saying, “If you’re implying we’re a bad defense, no, we’re not.”
LOL!
The Yankees’ defense let them down a lot this season and killed any shot they had to win Game 2.
They were pathetic.
In the home first, McMahon’s error was followed second baseman Jazz Chisholm making a bad throw to first base. Later in the first, the Yankees were lucky to get one out when Chandler Simpson hit a grounder to second and Chisholm’s flip to Lombard was high and off the bag. Lombard leaped to catch the ball, then reached out with his left foot and tagged the bag just ahead of Junior Camerino for a forceout that saved the Yankees of another error.
Lombard was the culprit in the fifth when the Rays scored four to turn a tie game into a 5-1 lead.
“Obviously, it wasn’t ideal from the start,” Lombard said. “We just didn’t make some plays that we usually made. It kind of happened throughout the game, and it just made it harder for ourselves.”
OFFENSIVE OFFENSE AGAIN, TOO
The Rays have great pitching, but the Yankees shouldn’t be this bad, even with Aaron Judge still out with a calf injury.
Ben Rice hit two solo homers for the Yankees’ first two runs of the series, but they managed only four for the game, leaving with five for the season.
In Game 1, Rays starter Drew Rasmussen had a no-hitter into the eighth and the Yankees were one-hit in a 1-0 loss.
SCHLITTLER NOT ON GAME
This was one of Schlittler’s worst starts in what’s been a great season. He threw 41 pitches through two innings and didn’t strike anyone out until the third.
Schlittler lasted only 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, one earned on seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
“I just didn’t have my stuff today,” Schlittler said. “I didn’t get great results. Some timely hits there. Didn’t get through the fifth, so it’s not good enough.”
His teammates feel differently.
“I thought Cam did a great job trying to pitch through all that stuff,” McMahon said.
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